Attachment for steel die and plate presses



' 1,640,553 Aug. 30, 1927. E. OHARA ATTACHMENT FOR STEELDIE AND PLATE PRESS ES Filed April 16, 1926 INVEN+UF= Patented Aug. 30', 1927.

UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE- ELIOT OHABA, E WALTHAM,

MASSACHUSETTS, AssIeNon 'ro o'nann WALTHAM COMPANY, OF WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, A GORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

7 ATTACHMENT FOR. STEEL DIE AND PLATE PRESSES.

Application filed April 16,1926, Serial-No. 102,510.

a machine which is intended for printing or embossing visiting cards and the like from an intaglio steel or copper die plate, but it is not adapted for printing or embossing on glass, enamel or other frangible articles.

The object of the present invention is to provide means for printing or embossing on frangible articles asabove mentioned.

The invention will be fully understood from the following description when, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novel features thereof .will be pointed out and clearly defined in the claims at the close of this specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is side elevation of a device embodying the invention, parts of the machine which are not necessary to illustrate the present invention being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a section on line 33, Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings:

There is shown at 10 a frame or casting to hold the working parts said frame having an arm 11 formed with a guide opening through which a piston 12 extends. Said piston carries on its lower end a printing or embossing member 13 as will be hereinafter described.

At 1% is shown a horizontally slidable die carrier which holds the metal die 15, the die being held in place by clamps 16.,

The die has the lettering or other markings for the design out therein in intaglio. In ordinary construction without my invention the printing is done directly by the die, the die being inked while on the carrier in a position to be out from under the piston, to be printedis placed on the die, then the carrier is then the card or other work moved to position the die under apresser member which is moved down to press the work against the die with sufficient force to cause the card to take the ink from the die. This will not work witharticles made of vertically reciprocable glass, china or having anenamel finish or otherw se made of frangible naterial, first, because the presser member would'crush the work forcibly against the die and break it,

anchsecond, because the hard surface of the glass or frangible material would not take the ink outof the engraving in the steel die. p

I The carrier 14: is reciprocable in a horizontal plane to bring the die to and from position beneath the piston 12, this preferably being'done automatically. The mechanism for doing this is not shown in the drawing because that does not form a part of the present invention.

In carrying out my invention there is provided a printing member having a resilient printing surface to which the inked design or marking is transferred from the die, then the work is positioned under the printing member, and then the work and the printing member are brought into contact with each other under pressure sutlicient to cause the printing member to p "int or emboss the design upon the work. In this way very frangible articles may be printed upon without danger of breaking or cracking.

The invention may be embodied in various forms of mechanism one form of which is shown in the drawings but I wish wit to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the particular form shown.

In the particular embodiment shown in the drawings the printing member 13 is composed of yielding or resilient material capa ble of taking the ink from the die 15 under pressure and capable of transferring it unler pressure to the article to be printed upon.

Preferably this printing'member 13 is a pad composed of gelatin cemented or otherwise .fiXGCl toa resilient block 17, preferably of .r sponge rubber, cemented or otherwise fixed to the bottom of the piston 12.

A. bracket of inverted Ushape having a head 18 and legs 19' straddles the frame 10,

the said legs 19 being pivoted at 20 to the frame. A pad 21, preferably of sponge rubber is fixed to a head 22 of a vertically movable member having downwardly extending legs 23-23 which pass loosely through apertures in the head 18 of the bracket. The

its'underside with guide pins 4 which extend down through gu de apertures 1n the'fianged head 22 of the plunger is also provided on head 18 of the plunger to help maintain the plunger in proper relation to the bracket. The said pins a and legs 23 are slidable in the holes in the bracket so that the said plunger head 22 may be moved at the proper time vertically with relation to the bracket. The pad 21 on the plunger head 22 serves as a work holder.

A bifurcated or fork-shaped lever 25 is provided with two arms 26-26 pivoted re spectively at 2727 to arms 2828 projecting from the bracket arms 1919,said arms 2626 extending beneath the plunger legs 2323 inoperative relation thereto.

The lever 25 is provided with an operating handle 29. By means of the lever 25 the pivoted bracket may be bodily turned on its pivot from its normal position shown in full lilies in Fig. 1 down to the position shown in dot and dash lines, carrying with it the plunger head 22 and the pad 21.

By pressing down on the handle of the lever when the bracket 18, 19 is in its normal upright position as in Fig. 1 the said lever will be tipped on its pivot, the handle end being turned down and the opposite ends of the arms 26, 26 which engage the plunger legs 23 being tipped up, thereby raising the plunger head 22 and the pad 21.

In operation, the bracket should preferably be turned down manually by the open ator by means of the lever 25 into the position shown in dot and dash lines in Fig. 1. The die carrier 1 1 will at this time be in a position where the die 15 will be directly beneath the piston, the said die having previously been inked and cleaned of surplus ink. lVhile in this position the piston 12 will be moved downward either manually or by mechanism provided for that purpose'until the pad 13 is pressed into contact with the die. The pad 13 when pressed down into the intaglio design or marking on the die will take up the ink therefrom so that the design on the die will be printed in reverseon the pad 13. /Vhen the plunger rises the lever 25 should be operated to turn the bracket 18, 19 again into the position shown in full lines F 1, carrying with it the work 30 which will in the meantime have been positioned on the pad. The handle of lever 25 should then be pressed down by the operator, thus tipping up the arms 26 which by engagement with the legs 23 of the pad holder will raise the pad 13 against the work 30 and the design or marking on the under face of the pad 13 will be transferred to the plate or other work 30. The lever 25 should then be turned back to its horizontal position to lower the work holder and should then be turned down into the dot and dash line posi- ,tion shown in Fig.1 to permit the die to be engaged by the piston on its next down' stroke. Owing to the yielding charaeter'of the printing pad 13 the printing will be accomplished without any injurious effect on the frangible article which is being printed upon. In the meantime the die carrier will be moved over to the right during the printing operation upon the work, the die will be again inked and the surplus ink rubbed off and the die carrier will move again to the left, bringing the die into the position shown in Fig. 1 ready to transfer the design to the pad 13-as soon asthe bracket 19 is turned down to bring the work holder pad 21 out of the way.

While I have shown the work holder as being mounted on a pivoted bracket and the bracket turned on its pivot by means of a lever so as to bring the work holder into and out of operative position it is obvious that other suitable means might be provided for bringing the work holder into and out of operative position. For instance, the work holder might very easily be mounted on the same carrier 1 1 as the die so that when the die is in alinement with the piston as shown in 1 the work would beout of alinement with the piston and when the carrier is moved to one side to bring the die outfromunder the piston for the inking and cleaning operation the work holder would be moved into position under the piston. It is also obvious that while I have shown a lever for raising the lower pad and" work holder to bring the work into engagement withthe printing pad on the lower end of the piston, any other suitable means might be provided for operating the work holder.

lVhat I claim is:

1. In a machine of the character described, a die having thereon the design to be printed, a reciprocable carrier therefor, a vertically movable printing member, a surface adapted to take up the design from the inked die, a movable work holder, meansfor moving the die into and out of alinement with the printing member, and means for moving the work holder into and out of'alinement with the printing member, said operating means for the die holder and for the work holder being so controlled that the die and the work holdermay be alternately brought into and out of alinement with the printing member, and means for causing the printing member to engage the work on the holder.

2. In a machine of the character described a die having thereon the design to be printed, a piston having on its lower end a pad provided with a surface adapted to take up the design from the inked die, said piston being movable to bring the said pad into pressing engagement with the inked die, a movable work holder provided with a cushion on which the work is to be seated and means formoving the work holder to cause the work to engage the printing member under pressure. g

3. In a machine of the character described,

'= pressed 1nto engagement out of alinement with the piston, said operat ing means for the die holder and for the work holder being so controlled that the die and the work holder may be alternately brought into and out of alinement with the piston and means for pressing the work on the work holder into engagement with the printing member on the piston.

at. In a machine of the character described,

a die containing the design to be printed, a

vertically movable piston having on its lower end a resilient holder for a printing pad, a resilient printing pad secured to the underside of said resilient holder, means whereby the printing pad on the piston may be with the die and means for bringing the work into pressing engagement withthe printingpad after the design is so transferred.

5. In apparatus of the character described, printing member having a printing surface on its underside, a mount for a work holder beneath said printingmember, said mount being pivoted in such manner that it can be rocked in a vertical plane to bring the work holder into and out of alinement with the said printing member, said work holder havfor moving the die ing on its underside a downwardly extending member adapted to be operated to raise the work holder from its normal position on said mount and to guide the work holder during its movement, a lever pivoted to said mount adapted to be operated for rocking the said mount on its pivot to bring the work holder out of and into alinement with the printing member and having an arm adapted to engage said downward projection on the work holder to actuate the work holder and press the work into engagement with the printing member.

6. In apparatus of the character described, aprinting member having a printing surface on its underside, a mount for a work holder beneath said mount comprising a head and two downwardly extending legs pivoted to a support in such'manner that it may be rocked on its pivot to move the work holder out of alinenent with the printing member, said mount being provided with downwardly extending guides which pass through holes in the head of said mount and a lever pivoted to said mount having arms which areadapted to engage the downwardly projecting guid-es on printing member, said 7 the work holder to lift the work holder and press the work into engagement with the printing member, said lever being also adapted to operate the said mount to move it out of and into alinement with the printing member. I

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ELIOT OHARA. 

